Boost for Scots

The bizarre situation arising from Colin Montgomerie’s decision not to play in golf’s World Cup in November has been resolved.

Alastair Forsyth and Stephen Gallacher do not now need to fly to Malaysia on Monday for the qualifying tournament after their manager Brian Marchbank was informed last night that Scotland have become exempt again.

The non-availability of other players has lifted Wales and the Scots into the 18 nations who, based on the world ranking position of their top available player, do not have to qualify for Seville.

Scott Drummond is the second highest Scottish player at 115th, but rejected the qualifying tournament because he is playing in the American Express world championship at Mount Juliet in County Kilkenny next week.

Forsyth and Gallacher were therefore left with the dilemma of whether to make the Far East trip knowing that on their arrival – or even after the event had started – they were probably going to be told they need not be there.

But Marchbank said: “I received an e-mail saying that Scotland are exempt. I’m so glad we got it sorted out before they flew, but in this day and age it’s a wholly unacceptable situation.

“It’s just very, very strange that the closing date for players to say whether they were available (next Friday) was after the qualifying tournament started.

“And it’s very sad that just when the World Cup was starting to mean something again with Tiger Woods playing in it (in Malaysia, Argentina and Japan) it returns to Europe and players don’t want to come.”

With Montgomerie playing in the UBS Cup in South Carolina – a Ryder Cup-style match between America and the Rest of the World for over-40s – Drummond and Forsyth will represent Scotland in Seville.

England and Ireland were automatically exempt with Paul Casey 27th in the world and Padraig Harrington eighth, but the leading Welsh player is Phillip Price in 79th and needed withdrawals to be exempt.

He and Bradley Dredge always assumed that there would be pull-outs and were not planning to go to Malaysia.

Casey and Harrington are able to pick their partners – probably Luke Donald and Paul McGinley respectively.